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Cecapolli E, Calò A, Giakoumi S, Di Lorenzo M, Greco S, Fanelli E, Milisenda G, Di Franco A. Sandy bottoms have limited species richness but substantially contribute to the regional coastal fish β-diversity: A case study of the Central Mediterranean Sea. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 201:106701. [PMID: 39178710 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
Global marine biodiversity loss impairs entire ecosystems and their stability. Robust biodiversity estimates are key to inform policies and management strategies, and need to consider the contribution of diverse habitats, including those for which estimates of biodiversity are scattered or totally absent. This study assessed the fish diversity associated with three main coastal habitats (rocky bottoms, Posidonia oceanica meadows, sandy bottoms), and their role in shaping the overall coastal fish diversity, also in relation to potential environmental and anthropogenic drivers affecting patterns of fish diversity in coastal areas. Using underwater visual census, we sampled 62 sites distributed on the three habitats, for a total of 496 replicates. We assessed the contribution of each habitat to β-diversity, divided into Local Contribution to β-diversity (LCBD), a comparative indicator of the contributions to β-diversity of each habitat, and Species Contribution to β-diversity (SCBD), which measures the relative importance of each species in affecting β-diversity. Finally, we modelled species diversity in relation to potential environmental and anthropogenic drivers. Overall, 72 species were recorded, with the highest species richness observed on rocky bottoms (56 species, 16 unique to this habitat), followed by P. oceanica (38 species, 0 unique) and sandy bottoms (32 species, 14 unique). Sandy bottom assemblages had a significantly higher contribution to LCBD than P. oceanica meadows and rocky bottoms, and two of the five species with the highest contribution to SCBD are exclusively associated with sandy bottoms. Finally, sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity, and habitat were highlighted as significant predictors of species richness. Our findings, aside from highlighting the environmental drivers of coastal fish diversity in the Mediterranean Sea, unravel the potential key role of sandy bottoms in contributing to overall coastal fish diversity and can inform conservation planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Cecapolli
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily Marine Centre, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo, 90142, Palermo, Italy; National Research Council-Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnologies (CNR-IRBIM), Largo Fiera della Pesca 2, 60125, Ancona, Italy; Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy.
| | - Antonio Calò
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences (DiSTeM), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 20-22, 90123, Palermo, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, 90133, Italy
| | - Sylvaine Giakoumi
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily Marine Centre, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo, 90142, Palermo, Italy
| | - Manfredi Di Lorenzo
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily Marine Centre, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo, 90142, Palermo, Italy
| | - Silvestro Greco
- Dipartimento Infrastrutture di ricerca per le risorse biologiche Marine, Implementazione tecnologica e Robotica Marina, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Roma, Italy; Calabria Marine Centre, CRIMAC, Department of Integrative Marine Ecology (EMI), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn - National Institute of Biology, Ecology and Marine Biotechnology, C.da Torre Spaccata, 87071, Amendolara, CS, Italy
| | - Emanuela Fanelli
- National Research Council-Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnologies (CNR-IRBIM), Largo Fiera della Pesca 2, 60125, Ancona, Italy; Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131, Ancona, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, 90133, Italy
| | - Giacomo Milisenda
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily Marine Centre, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo, 90142, Palermo, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, 90133, Italy
| | - Antonio Di Franco
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily Marine Centre, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo, 90142, Palermo, Italy; NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, 90133, Italy
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Perry D, Tamarit E, Sundell E, Axelsson M, Bergman S, Gräns A, Gullström M, Sturve J, Wennhage H. Physiological responses of Atlantic cod to climate change indicate that coastal ecotypes may be better adapted to tolerate ocean stressors. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12896. [PMID: 38839894 PMCID: PMC11153577 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62700-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Healthy ecosystems and species have some degree of resilience to changing conditions, however as the frequency and severity of environmental changes increase, resilience may be diminished or lost. In Sweden, one example of a species with reduced resilience is the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). This species has been subjected to overfishing, and with additional pressures such as habitat degradation and changing environmental conditions there has been little to no recovery, despite more than a decade of management actions. Given the historical ecological, economical, and cultural significance of cod, it is important to understand how Atlantic cod respond to global climate change to recover and sustainably manage this species in the future. A multi-stressor experiment was conducted to evaluate physiological responses of juvenile cod exposed to warming, ocean acidification, and freshening, changes expected to occur in their nursery habitat. The response to single drivers showed variable effects related to fish biometrics and increased levels of oxidative stress dependent parameters. Importantly, two separate responses were seen within a single treatment for the multi-stressor and freshening groups. These within-treatment differences were correlated to genotype, with the offshore ecotype having a heightened stress response compared to the coastal ecotype, which may be better adapted to tolerate future changes. These results demonstrate that, while Atlantic cod have some tolerance for future changes, ecotypes respond differently, and cumulative effects of multiple stressors may lead to deleterious effects for this important species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Perry
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Marine Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lysekil, Sweden.
| | - Elena Tamarit
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Erika Sundell
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Michael Axelsson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sanne Bergman
- The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT - the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Albin Gräns
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Martin Gullström
- School of Natural Sciences, Technology and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Joachim Sturve
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Håkan Wennhage
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Marine Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lysekil, Sweden
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Jacoby DMP, Piper AT. What acoustic telemetry can and cannot tell us about fish biology. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37837176 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Acoustic telemetry (AT) has become ubiquitous in aquatic monitoring and fish biology, conservation, and management. Since the early use of active ultrasonic tracking that required researchers to follow at a distance their species of interest, the field has diversified considerably, with exciting advances in both hydrophone and transmitter technology. Once a highly specialized methodology, however, AT is fast becoming a generalist tool for those wishing to study or conserve fishes, leading to diversifying application by non-specialists. With this transition in mind, we evaluate exactly what AT has become useful for, discussing how the technological and analytical advances around AT can address important questions within fish biology. In doing so, we highlight the key ecological and applied research areas where AT continues to reveal crucial new insights and, in particular, when combined with complimentary research approaches. We provide a comprehensive breakdown of the state of the art for applications of AT, discussing the ongoing challenges, where its strengths lie, and how future developments may revolutionize fisheries management, behavioral ecology and species protection. Through selected papers we illustrate specific applications across the broad spectrum of fish biology. By bringing together the recent and future developments in this field under categories designed to broadly capture many aspects of fish biology, we hope to offer a useful guide for the non-specialist practitioner as they attempt to navigate the dizzying array of considerations and ongoing developments within this diverse toolkit.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M P Jacoby
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - Adam T Piper
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
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Paxton EH, Paxton KL, Kawasaki MT, Gorresen PM, van Rees CB, Underwood JG. Hawaiian waterbird movement across a developed landscape. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eben H. Paxton
- U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center Box 44, Hawaiʻi National Park HI 96718 USA
| | - Kristina L. Paxton
- Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit University of Hawaiʻi Hilo PO Box 44, Hawaiʻi National Park HI 96718 USA
| | - Martha T. Kawasaki
- Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit University of Hawaiʻi Hilo PO Box 44, Hawaiʻi National Park HI 96718 USA
| | - P. Marcos Gorresen
- Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit University of Hawaiʻi Hilo PO Box 44, Hawaiʻi National Park HI 96718 USA
| | - Charles B. van Rees
- Department of Biology Tufts University 200 College Avenue Medford MA 02155 USA
| | - Jared G. Underwood
- Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu HI 96850 USA
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Abstract
Despite our critical dependence on aquatic wildlife, we lack a complete understanding of the drivers of population stability and structure for most fish species. Social network analysis has been increasingly used to investigate animal societies as it explicitly links individual decision-making to population-level processes and demography. While the study of social structure is of great ecological interest, it is also potentially important for species of economic value or of conservation concern. To date however, there has been little focus on how social processes are likely to influence the conservation of fish populations. Here we identify applications for how a social network approach can help address broad fish conservation themes such as population structure, biological invasions or fisheries management. We discuss the burgeoning opportunities offered and challenges still faced by current technologies to integrate social network approaches within fish conservation.
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Bacheler NM, Shertzer KW, Runde BJ, Rudershausen PJ, Buckel JA. Environmental conditions, diel period, and fish size influence the horizontal and vertical movements of red snapper. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9580. [PMID: 33953219 PMCID: PMC8099871 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88806-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Most demersal fishes are difficult to observe and track due to methodological and analytical constraints. We used an acoustic positioning system to elucidate the horizontal and vertical movements of 44 red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) off North Carolina, USA, in 2019. Mean movement rate and distance off bottom varied by individual, with larger red snapper generally moving faster and spending more time farther off the bottom than smaller individuals. We used generalized additive mixed models that accounted for temporal autocorrelation in the data to show that mean hourly red snapper movement rate was lower during the day than at night and was negatively related to bottom water temperature. Moreover, red snapper spent more time off the bottom during the day than at night, and vertical movements were mostly related to bottom upwelling events that sporadically occurred in May-July. Our results and previous observations suggest that red snapper feed primarily on benthic organisms at night, and display diel vertical migration (i.e., thermotaxis) up to warmer waters (when present) during the day to aid digestive efficiency. Movement is a central organizing feature in ecology, and the sustainable management of fish will benefit from a better understanding of the timing and causes of fish movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan M. Bacheler
- grid.422702.10000 0001 1356 4495Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Beaufort, NC 28516 USA
| | - Kyle W. Shertzer
- grid.422702.10000 0001 1356 4495Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Beaufort, NC 28516 USA
| | - Brendan J. Runde
- grid.40803.3f0000 0001 2173 6074Department of Applied Ecology, Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, North Carolina State University, Morehead City, NC 28557 USA
| | - Paul J. Rudershausen
- grid.40803.3f0000 0001 2173 6074Department of Applied Ecology, Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, North Carolina State University, Morehead City, NC 28557 USA
| | - Jeffrey A. Buckel
- grid.40803.3f0000 0001 2173 6074Department of Applied Ecology, Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, North Carolina State University, Morehead City, NC 28557 USA
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Perry D, Hammar L, Linderholm HW, Gullström M. Spatial risk assessment of global change impacts on Swedish seagrass ecosystems. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0225318. [PMID: 31978099 PMCID: PMC6980605 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Improved knowledge on the risk in ecologically important habitats on a regional scale from multiple stressors is critical for managing functioning and resilient ecosystems. This risk assessment aimed to identify seagrass ecosystems in southern Sweden that will be exposed to a high degree of change from multiple global change stressors in mid- and end-of-century climate change conditions. Risk scores were calculated from the expected overlap of three stressors: sea surface temperature increases, ocean acidification and wind driven turbid conditions. Three high-risk regions were identified as areas likely to be exposed to a particularly high level of pressure from the global stressors by the end of the century. In these areas it can be expected that there will be a large degree of stressor change from the current conditions. Given the ecological importance of seagrass meadows for maintaining high biodiversity and a range of other ecosystem services, these risk zones should be given high priority for incorporation into management strategies, which can attempt to reduce controllable stressors in order to mitigate the consequences of some of the impending pressures and manage for maintained ecosystem resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Perry
- Seagrass Ecology and Physiology Research Group, Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lysekil, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Linus Hammar
- Octopus Ink Research & Analysis, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Hans W. Linderholm
- Regional Climate Group, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Martin Gullström
- Seagrass Ecology and Physiology Research Group, Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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